DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this dissertation research is to examine the use vocalic and postvocalic /r/ in 3,4, and 5 year old children learning African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and compare their productions to those of adult caregivers. Recent studies have documented a much higher usage of vocal and postvocalic /r/ in AAVE speakers than was previously described, suggesting that the dialect is undergoing rapid change from "r-lessness" to r-fullness". In the present study, variation in the use of vocalic and postvocalic /r/ will be examined in a variety of phonetic contexts (e.g., type of preceding vowel, syllable shape, stress pattern). Children's and adults' productions will be examined for the presence or absence of fully constricted /r/ and for the presence of other unique AAVE phonetic characteristics. Productions of isolat single words (real and novel) and words in carrier sentences will be elicited from both children and their parents. Spontaneous language samples will be us to determine the extent of these forms in continuous speech. In addition, attitudes toward the use of these dialect features will be examined through a subject reaction tasks and parent interview. Documentation of the patterns of variation in the use of vocalic and postvocal /r/ will allow clinicians to determine whether a child's productions are appropriate for their speech community. Such data will also be of value in th development/construction of culturally/linguistically appropriate assessment instruments/procedures.